Heirs of the Gods

Ch 15: Bitter pride, unbreachable pride

The sharp and incessant knocking mirrored the pounding in her skull as Ella pried open her still red and bleary eyes. She groaned and huffed into her pillow, thinking she would have loved to pretend not to hear anything and play possum.

Instead, she grumbled and dragged herself from bed, trying to tame her hair as she trudged towards the noise, to attempt at least some semblance of decency. Throwing the door open, her eyes came in contact with a solid wall of black; also known as, Aedion's chest.

Squinting, she took a few steps back and craned her neck up to glare at him. "What could you possibly want?" she said bitterly. "Come here to tell me that I somehow managed to sell you my body as well and you're planning to make me a slave?"

The slightest of twitches in his jaw announced that Aedion was mildly irked, but in a flash of a second, his expression was back to its usual aloof boredom. "Are you done being a child? Did you get the tantrum out of your system?"

Ella wanted to lash out again and maybe kick his knees in. But that would, in fact, be classified as a tantrum. This was the only thing keeping her from hurling vulgar insults and causing him grievous bodily harm, the need to maintain at least a shred of her tattered dignity.

It didn't help that she was still wearing last nights rumpled dress and a birds nest on her head, while Aedion was smooth and impeccably dressed. He looked smug about it too, looking down at her from his towering height, like some condescending giant. On all levels, literal and metaphorical, he had the high ground.

Instead of giving in to her violent impulses, she contented herself with slamming the door in his face, hoping that it would catch his aristocratic nose and cause some damage. Ultimately, she was deprived of even that small satisfaction as instead of closing, the door remained open and Aedion waked in.

She whirled around, face contorted in anger. "Just leave! Haven't you done enough?"

"Such dramatics," he crossed his arms. "I honestly expected more from the woman that came all the way here so hell-bent on rescuing her brother, willing to fight off orcs. And now you're giving up? Frankly, disappointing and dull," he said in a bored tone as if he'd read some mildly unsatisfactory news. 

"I don't exactly have a choice," she said bitterly.

"I said I'd find him and get him back safe, I intend to see that through. Think of it this way, it's essentially what you already thought I was promising, only with added steps!" He had the gall to look pleased with his little joke and Ella struggled to control her temper.

Taking a deep breath, she managed to summon her aloofness. "And how are you going to do that? We don't even know where he is."

"Well, if you stop scowling long enough to get dressed and present yourself as a functioning member of society," he said, grinning at her scrunched up features, "we can actually start looking for him. The sooner the better, so do hurry." He spun on his heels to leave but ended up turning back around and thrusting an object into her hands. A cup of dark coffee.

"Thought you might need that," he said, and he left before Ella could manage to utter a word.

Begrudgingly and despite her better judgement, Ella lifted the cup to her nose, letting the scent envelop her. A tentative sip soothed her headache and her sour mood. It was overly sweet, exactly how she made it herself.

*********

Like the day before, Aedion was waiting for Ella outside her door. Mercifully, he hadn't made any remarks about how long she'd taken getting ready this time, only giving her his trademark smirk.